Ivanka Trump Memorial Day Tweet Sparks Controversy

A tweet associated with Ivanka Trump generated controversy over Memorial Day weekend.

The tweet went out under her lifestyle brand, "Ivanka Trump HQ," reports CNN. "Make champagne popsicles this #MemorialDay," the tweet read.

Many social media users were offended by the trivial nature of the message. One sarcastic meme which was circulated on Twitter said: "Remember our sacrifice by making champagne popsicles."

The actor John Cusack tweeted that it would be "impossible to be more absurd," reports The Inquisitr. Another person bitterly commented: "My father did not spend two years in service to America so you could use a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers as a BRANDING OPPORTUNITY."

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According to the Ivanka Trump HQ website, she "realized there was also an opportunity to make a broader impact for her customers and so she brought together a team to evolve the company into a solution-oriented lifestyle brand, dedicated to the mission of inspiring and empowering women to create the lives they want to lead."

As for Memorial Day, it began following the Civil War, and was originally known as "Decoration Day," because of the tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, explains PBS.

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During that first national celebration in 1868, Ohio Congressman and future President James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery. "We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens," he said on that occasion. "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."

After World War I, Memorial Day became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which decreed the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. It has become a tradition for the president or vice president to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In addition to the Ivanka Trump HQ tweet about popsicles, Ivanka posted a more typical Memorial Day message on her personal Twitter account.

"Today we honor the men & women in our armed forces who have lost their lives to protect our freedom," she wrote. "Thank you for your service #MemorialDay."